Hop Growers Fair Booths On Blissimore Hall Acre

The following Buildings shall be added:-

PENTON GRAFTON

SU 34 NW WEYHILL ROAD Weyhill 4/10000 Hop growers fair booths on Blissimore Hall acre GV II

Range of former hop growers fair booths forming an elongated U-shaped yard with the rear wall fronting Weyhill Road, Rectory Lane, and St. Michael's and All Angels Churchyard. Early/mid C19. Cob rear wall with flint plinth to open-fronted booths with timber posts and king post trusses; slated roofs. These booths, on a piece of land known as Blissimore Hall Acre, were erected by a consortium of hop growers called the Farnham Gentlemen, to market their produce. They are the surviving remnants of Weyhill Fair, one of the most important historic fairs in the country which is documented in 1225 and continued until 1959. William Cobbett visited the fair several times and made reference to it and the hop growers in Rural Rides. Thomas Hardy immortralised Weyhill Fair in The Mayor of Casterbridge, renaming it Weydon Priors. The booths are also an important survival of permanent fair booths which are a rare building type.

Listing NGR: SU3195047926